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The highly anticipated Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics ran into an unexpected speed bump as competition opened on Wednesday.
A brief power outage interrupted the opening curling contests after lights flickered inside the historic stadium. Several curlers stayed loose by continuing to slide on the ice during the delay.
The return of the bright lights drew cheers from the crowd. Officials said they were investigating the cause, though no immediate details were available.
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South Korea’s Yeongseok Jeong sweeps a stone during the mixed doubles round robin stage of the curling competition against Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy on February 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
Curling in Cortina – eight teams in mixed doubles – began two full days before the opening ceremony of this year’s Winter Games.
American curler Korey Dropkin said he has been looking forward to this moment for a long time.
“To be among the best, it’s a very cool atmosphere to be a part of,” said Dropkin, a first-time Olympian who begins competition Thursday. “We look forward to being ready to compete and pour our hearts out on the ice.”
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The opening night at this mountain resort was just the first of the round-robin matches in mixed doubles curling, where teams of one woman and one man face each other.
Sweden’s Rasmus and Isabella Wranaa compete during a curling mixed doubles session against South Korea at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy on February 4, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Fans have arrived in Cortina in anticipation of the first matches. They clapped, rang bells and sang for their countries and favorite curlers when their team scored or there was a break in the action.
Some in the crowd held large flags for the Czech Republic, whose team was competing against Canada. Canadian fans wearing red waving hand held flags.
Preparations for the first curling competition are made at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy on February 4, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The Italian duo Stefania Constantini, who is from Cortina, and Amos Mosaner are the defending world and Olympic champions in mixed doubles.
